Hollywood High: A Totally Epic, Way Opinionated History of Teen Movies

From a longtime Vanity Fair writer and editor, a delightfully entertaining, intelligent, and illuminating history and tribute to teen movies--from Rebel Without a Cause to Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and on to John Hughes, Mean Girls, The Hunger Games, and more.

What influence did Francis Ford Coppola have on George Lucas's American Graffiti? And Lucas on John Singleton's Boyz n the Hood? How does teenage sexuality in Fast Times at Ridgemont High compare to Twilight? Which teen movies pass the Bechdel test? Why is Mean Girls actually the last great teen film of the 20th century?

In the same way that Peter Biskind's Easy Riders, Raging Bulls connects the films of the 1970s to the period's cultural upheaval, and David Hadju's Positively 4th Street tells the story of the sixties through the emergence of folk music, Bruce Handy's Hollywood High situates iconic teen movies within their times and reveals the intriguing stories, artists, and passions behind their creation. These films aren't merely beloved stories; they reflect teens' growing economic and cultural influence, societal panics, and shifting perceptions of youth in America.

Much more than a nostalgia trip, Hollywood High is a lively, provocative, and affectionate cultural history, spanning nearly one hundred years. Handy, an acclaimed journalist and critic who spent two decades at Vanity Fair, examines the defining films of each generation and builds connections between them. From the Andy Hardy classics (1937-1946) to the iconic Rebel Without a Cause (1955); Beach Party series (1963-1968); American Graffiti (1973); Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982); the John Hughes touchstones Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1984-1986); Boyz N the Hood (1991); Mean Girls (2004); the Twilight saga (2008-2012); and The Hunger Games series (2012-2015); this is a captivating deep dive into the world of teen movies that captures their sweeping history and influence. We'll hear from icons James Dean, Annette Funicello, George Lucas, Amy Heckerling, John Hughes, Molly Ringwald, John Singleton, Tina Fey, and Kristen Stewart, and discover why the most timeless teen movies resonate across generations.

Author: Bruce Handy
Publisher: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
Published: 05/20/2025
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.40lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.70w x 1.50d
ISBN: 9781501181177


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 04/01/2025
Library Journal 04/18/2025 pg. 1
Booklist 04/22/2025
Publishers Weekly 05/19/2025
Shelf Awareness 05/23/2025

About the Author
Bruce Handy is a journalist, critic, humorist, and children's book author. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The New York Times, and The Atlantic, among other publications. His book Wild Things: The Joys of Reading Children's Literature as an Adult was published in 2017. He is also the author of five picture books, including The Happiness of a Dog with a Ball in Its Mouth and What If One Day..., both of which were named New York Times Best Children's Books. He began his career as a writer and editor at Spy magazine, and also spent a season (1992-1993) writing for Saturday Night Live.